If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I think Vilardi will probably get some AHL time before playing in LA. Amadio might be in LA all season next year. It is great news to see the future C depth chart looking less bleak in a hurry. I think Blake has already fixed the goaltending pipeline.

Interesting that Vilardi got 2 assists with Nyman. I figured he'd be setting up Robertson-- get some of the bigger bodies out there together. And maybe link the forwards with Rasanen on the D who is huge, but I have not seen him show 2nd round talent.

He might get some time after the season ends. Apparently though Rychel is convinced Vilardi will make the NHL next year. The Kingston GM seems convinced, too, since he added another conditional 2nd pick if Vilardi comes back next season.

He was ranked top 2-4 by the pundits in the days running up to the draft, knowing that he doesn't have "top end speed", but that his skating is still above average. I did see some folks theorize that scouts might have been concerned that his skating would prevent him from being a first line center at the NHL level, so they went with "sure things" that they already had theirs sights on ahead of him. I'm not sure about that, however. Regardless, the Kings haven't gotten a gift like this since Kopitar. If he is as coachable as they say, his skating will be fine by the end of next summer.

He was ranked top 2-4 by the pundits in the days running up to the draft, knowing that he doesn't have "top end speed", but that his skating is still above average. I did see some folks theorize that scouts might have been concerned that his skating would prevent him from being a first line center at the NHL level, so they went with "sure things" that they already had theirs sights on ahead of him. I'm not sure about that, however. Regardless, the Kings haven't gotten a gift like this since Kopitar. If he is as coachable as they say, his skating will be fine by the end of next summer.

I know what the knock is. The hockey cognoscenti’s perceived knock on him is his skating. I don’t find his skating to be subpar. I guess if you want to be critical and conservative, you could say his skating is slightly below average. I don’t know – those two Erie games in the Memorial Cup were as high-speed of a game as you could play, and he led both games. He was the dominant force in both games. Again, I don’t like in the players – Tyler Toffoli and Vilardi – but in terms of their skating, there was a very similar knock. Although their skating styles are different, they were both aesthetically non-pleasing to the eye. But in terms of the efficacy of their skating, they both got to where they needed to go, and they both got their faster than it looked like they got there. I view Gabriel’s skating as I don’t think his ceiling to improve is as high as Tyler’sceiling to improve his skating, but I certainly see when Gabriel’s ready to play in the NHL, I don’t see his skating as being anything worse than a normalized NHL skater.

[yt]72Ek2h5dWW8[/yt]
About 30 seconds in, they talk about his skating, too.

Either way, it's fair to question a player's skating, especially in this NHL where speed and skating is becoming so much more of an important skillset. But I do think that a lot of scouts overlook the speed in which a player processes a puck and play. For example, Kempe last season was one of the fastest skaters on the team, but he didn't know what to do with the puck. What's the point of getting the puck somewhere if you don't know what to do with it? If you watch Vilardi's highlights, even this season, you will see how decisive he is. He may not be the best skater, but if he knows what to do with the puck, it doesn't matter.